Saratoga Winery plants milkweed for Monarch restoration

The 10 acres of vines at House Family Vineyards, located in the Saratoga hillside, has an intricate ecosystem.

The cover crops improve soil health, owls and birds of prey keep the rodent population at bay, and the grapes grown there are turned into House’s wine. But the vineyard manager is adding a new population to the mix: milkweed.

The floral plant is used to restore Monarch butterfly habitats across the globe. The species is in danger of extinction from threats to its habitat and food source, and Monarchs lay their eggs solely on milkweed.

Vineyard manager Jonathan Goodling sourced 96 milkweed plants from Monarch Watch, a nonprofit education, conservation and research organization based at the University of Kansas.

The nonprofit partners with businesses to plant milkweed restoration plants for free. Goodling said they had to wait a year for the organization to have the native milkweed species for the region.

While the butterflies will be helping to pollinate plants at the vineyard, Goodling said his inspiration to plant milkweed came after listening to radio show on the subject.

“I’m an avid NPR listener, and they were talking about the Monarchs coming in every year, but it’s less and less every year,” Goodling said. “I thought, ‘We have all this open space; can we do something?’”

Monarchs make their annual migrations around the globe, but habitat destruction along the California coast– where they spend their winters – has taken a toll on the butterfly population.

Pesticides used in farming and the effects of climate change are also killing off Monarchs, National Geographic reported.